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Friday, 17 November 2017

How to keep Children entertained on Long Car Journeys this Christmas

Christmas is such a magical time of year, one when you can always bet on catching up with old friends and seeing family members you wouldn’t usually see. But if you’re anything like us, you’ll have family that don’t live locally which means endless hours spent in the car travelling all over to visit and spend time with them. And, if you have children, it’s more of a chore than an enjoyment but, there are ways you can get around it pretty easily.

Before you do and go anywhere though, with the colder days fast approaching, icy roads are starting to appear so make sure you give your car a full check before you head out on any long journey - check your tyres (pressure, condition, tread etc) you can find out more info on how to do that at tyreplus.co.uk , make sure you have water in your tank and spare if needed and a blanket just incase you break down and have to wait in the cold!

Right, so Tip 1: Make up some ‘goodie’ bags if you’re heading out on a long journey. These can literally just be a bag you already have at home, a sandwich bag or even a tuppawear tub and fill it with things to do. You can also get some great seat compartments which are handy to pop in bits and bobs and know they’re not going to roll around the back of the car! Summer Infant have some great ones available for just £8.99 Colouring is always good as it helps to pass the time! You can also buy little puzzle packs from the pound shop which make for good time wasting!

Tip 2: Play car games. Simple things such as Eye-spy or Spot are great games to keep the kids entertained! You can also print off check-lists too which have a list of different things the kids need to spot whilst on their travels for example, horses, helicopters etc.

Tip 3: Whenever possible, leave as early (or as late) as you can and this will pretty much guarantee you a traffic-free journey and the likelihood that the kids will fall asleep pretty quickly!

Tip 4: Ask them what songs they’d like to hear and create a playlist or take some CD’s along with you so that they can’t moan that they don’t want to listen to the radio! You can take some headphones and a book and zone out then too - keeping everyone happy!

Tip 5: Remember, children have no concept of time. If they keep asking how long it’s going to be, it’s pointless telling them because everything seems so far away anyway. Instead, pick a point along your route (if possible) for them to look out for and that way, they will be paying attention to where they’re going and know that once they’ve seen that point of reference, there isn’t much further to go!

Wherever you’re heading this Christmas, just make sure that your car is safe to drive and you have everything you need just incase the worst was to happen.